Portable deck



sept. 1, 1942.

G. G. GREULICH PORTABLE DECK Filed Sept. 24, 1940 lmezfm'." '659420U4/CH,

Patented Sept. 1,l 19.42

UNITED STATE PORTABLE DECK g Gerald G. Greulich, Mount Lebanon, Pa.,assignor to Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., acorporation of New Jersey Application September 24, 1940, Serial No.358,180

4 Claims. (Cl. 94-13) l I This invention relates to portable decks, andmore particularly to those which provide paved areas on unstable soiland the like, for airplane runways, storage and handlingof materials andfreight, paving for vehicular traffic, etc.

In my patent application Serial No. 345,218, led July 12, 1940, andentitled, Portable deck, I have shown and described a device somewhatsimilar to that of the present application, which is an improvementthereover. In the co-pending application there is employed pairs ofplates forming male and female members, the former being provided ontheir adjoining edges with downwardly-projecting lugs comprising shankand longitudinally-extending lelongated prong portions, the latterproviding -slots for the reception thereof. Such construction, ofcourse, requires two parts to provide the proper interlocking effect.

It is among the objects of the present inventionv to provide a portabledeck which may not only be readily fabricated of simple interlockingmetallic plates enabling ready erection `and dismantling; but one whichat the same time is composed of identical members requiring but a singlepattern and, therefore, one which may be more readily understood andhandled by unskilled labor.

Other objects will be apparent after referring to the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a section, of the portable deck of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan of a portion thereof;

Figurek 3 is a fragmentary side elevation;V Figure 4 is an enlargedfragmentary elevation illustrating-the manner of connecting the plates;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation illustrating a form offastening device which may be used to maintain the plates ininterlocking general plane of the fiat surface and into contin.

uousl U-shaped troughs. Between the parallel longitudinal grooves 51 andextending at right fragmentary elevation, partly inv angles thereto is aseries of discontinuous transverse grooves IA which are shown as beingsubstantially elliptical in plan.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1 and 2,V

the longitudinal edges Il of each of the metallic l plates 2 areprovided with aligned spaced downwardly-projecting lugs, the lower edgesof which terminate at a point which is substantially the same as, orslightly less than a plane across the bottoms of the deformed portionswhich constitute the longitudinal grooves 5. Each of thesedownwardly-projecting lugs comprises a shank I I and alongitudinally-extending elongated prong portion I3. These elongatedprong portions I3 are in alignment, and all of them extend in the samedirection.

Referring more particularly to Figure 1, it will be perceived that theflat surface of each of the metallic plates 2 inwardly of itslongitudinal edges 9 and outwardly of its longitudinal grooves 5 isprovided with a series of elongated slots I5 which correspond innumber,V size and shape to receive and have extend through, the alignedspaced longitudinally-extending elongated prong portions I3 of. anadjacently disposed plate 2.

In operation:

A series of metallic plates 2 are laid in the form of a blanket in whichalternate rows are reversed so that the longitudinally-extendingelongated prong portions I3 in one row point in a direction which isopposite that `of the corresponding elementsof the metallic plates ofthe next adjacent row. This also permits of the placing of the rows oneat a time in straight sequence, the longitudinally-extending elongatedprong-portions I3 of the row being placed so as to be readily enteredfrom the top into the elongated .slots I5 on the leading edges of themetallic -plates already in position.

.Any row of plates, or any individual plate of any given row, may bereadily removed from the completed deck by shifting the plates endwisesufiiciently to unlock the elongated prong portions I3 from theelongated slots I5 of the next adjacent plates.

As shown more clearly in Figure 4, the space between the upper edges ofthe elongated prong portions I3 and the lower edges of the metallicplates is materially greater than the thickness of the said plates, orat least those portions of the latter having formed therein theelongated slots I5. This clearance permits the removal of any plate fromits assembled relationship by merely raising its end opposite thattoward which the elongated prong portions I3 extend, and s lid- Anadditionm advantage is that the metamc e platesY 2 provide in effect aspare set of bayonet clips \II and tongues I3 which are not engaged inthe first usage and which are protected from damage by reason ofunderlying the-edges of the next adjacent plates. Thesek units may,therefore, -be taken up and re-laid without any necessity ofstraightening the bayonet clips IIj as in the re-laying all interlockingcan be done with bayonet clips I I which were not previously in use. Thesame is also true, of course, with respect to the slots I5.

Referring to Figure 5, I have disclosed a form of lockingelement whichmay be used to secure the interlocked metallic plates 2 againstdisplacement. According to the form shown, there is provided a lwirespring steel clip I6 which fits Into one or more of the slots I5adjacent the downwardly directed edges Q which carry the integralbayonet clips II. These wire spring steel clips I6 prevent the relativemovement of the bayonet clips Il with respect to the slots l5 sumcientlyto permit the bayonet clips tov completely align with the slots l5,whereby the metallic plate 2 carrying the same might be displaced. Inaddition to the form shown, numerous other devices will suffice,including wooden wedges, etc., but these, as such, fo'rm'no part of thepresent invention.

While l have shown and described one specific embodiment of the presentinvention, it will be seen that I do not wish to be limited exactlythereto, since various modications may be made without departing fromthe scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A plurality of metallic plates adapted for rapid attachment anddetachment to form a substantially horizontal portable deck capable ofsustaining superposed loads, each of said plates having a series ofaligned spaced openings inwardly of an edge thereof, and being providedoutwardly of said` openings with a series of aligned spaceddownwardly-projecting lugs adapted to align with, and extend through,the openings of a similarly formed and adjacently disposed plate, eachof said lugs comprising a shank and an enlarged head portion, theopenings in said plates being substantially larger than the enlargedhead portions of the lugs thereof whereby, upon disposing the said lugsin the said openings and subjecting the plates to relative longitudinalmovement, the enlarged head p0rtions of the lugs of one of said platesare disposed beneath the bottoms of the similarlyformed and adjacentlydisposed plate aforesaid to thereby effect an interlock.

2. A plurality of metallic plates adapted for rapid attachment anddetachment .to form a wardly of a. pair of opposite edges thereof, and

being provided outwardly of both series of said' plates are disposedbeneath the bottoms of thel similarly formed and adjacently disposedplate aforesaid to thereby effect an interlock.

3. A plurality of metallic plates adapted for rapid attachment anddetachment to form a subsequently horizontal portable deck capable ofsustaining superposed loads, each of said plates having a series ofaligned spaced elongated openings inwardly of an edge thereof, and beingprovided outwardly of said openings with a series of aligned spaceddownwardly-projecting lugs adapted tov alignwith, and extend through,the elongated. openings of a similarly formed and adjacently disposedplate, each of said lugs comprising a shank and an elongated prongportion,

all of said elongated prong portions extending in the same direction,the elongated openings in said plates being substantially longer thanthe l are disposed beneath the bottoms of the simisubstantiallyhorizontal portable deck capable of sustaining superposed loads, each ofsaid plates having a series of aligned spaced openings inlarly formedand adjacently disposed plate aforesaid to thereby elect an interlock.

4. A plurality of metallic plates adapted for rapid attachment anddetachment to form a substantially horizontal portable deck capable ofsustaining superposed loads, each of said plates having a series ofaligned spaced elongated openings inwardly of a pair of opposite edgesthereof, and being provided outwardly of both series of said openingswith a series of aligned spaced downwardly-projecting lugs adapted toalign with, and lextend through, the elongated openings of a similarlyformed and adjacently disposed plate, each of said lugs comprising ashank and an elongated prong portion, all of said elongated prongportions extending in the same direction, the elongated openings in saidplates being substantially longer than the' elongated prong portions ofthe lugs thereof whereby, upon disposing the said lugs in the saidelongated openings and subjecting the plates to relative longitudinalmovement, the lelongated prong portions of the lugs of one of saidplates are dis- Aposed beneath the bottoms of the similarly formed andadjacently disposed plate aforesaid to thereby effect an interlock.

GERALD G. GREULICH.

